Draft Suggestions

Chris's comments helped me realize I need a little work on the transition between events so the reader doesnt have to wonder how I got from point A to point B

The Ordinary World and The Call to Adventure

    In "The Ordinary World" and "The Call to Adventure," Vogler describes the most important elements that must be incorporated in these stages of the journey. The most crucial part to an epic story is the introduction to the character and current setting, which takes place in the ordinary world. Vogler emphasizes the hero's entrance, introduction, and identification as necessary components that further the audience's or reader's understanding of the character. These are often conveyed through symbolism and metaphors. In addition, through identifying with the hero, we gain insight into what will conspire in the story and what challenges the hero may face. Here the theme begins to take shape and remains constant throughout the rest of the story. Once the writer has made the hero's disposition clear, the call to adventure is often the next stage in the hero's journey. Here the transition from the ordinary world to the special world begins with a trigger or catalyst brought on by the hero's predicament. Vogler points out that the call can be self motivated or triggered by another character or situations, such as temptation or synchronicity. In order to describe these stages, Vogler poses questions that require the reader to think critically about the roles these different elements play in their own writing.

    The part of Vogler's analysis of the two stages, ordinary world and call to adventure, that caught my attention was his mention of symbolism and metaphors in creating the theme and character of the hero and the nature of the journey. As we view in many trailers, there are only a few scenes that are presented, which give the viewer or reader enough clues to know what the story will be about. For example, in a trailer about the Wizard of Oz we may see Dorothy's house being swept away by the storm or the wicked witch on the screen. These symbols clue us into the conflict that may arise in the story.

    I believe it is very important to create a preview or trailer of a story in order to make sure it has all the essential elements of the hero's journey. I found in trying to create a summary of my story, I was missing a climax of conflict, where I explain what will happen if I fail my mission. As Vogler explains, what is at stake is a very important element to a story. In addition, through Vogler's description of symbolism in stories, I now see how a symbol can serve as a better way of conveying a quality or problem or situation. I feel that symbols are universally understood and are a useful tool for conveying complexities that are happening within a story. In particular, I would like to find a way to incorporate more symbolism and metaphors into my story so I can better express what is happening between the characters and me, because it is hard for me to explain it to my audience through words.

    

Questions:
1. Would it be possible to tell a personal story through the use of fairy tale creation?
2. Does the hero create the theme of the story or is the theme already created?
3. Could you say that exposition is the most crucial element to telling a story?

First Draft Progress

2 strengths with why and 2 areas for improvement with how.

Strength 1:
Good way of introducing my problem. Since I've experienced the emotions I expressed in my paper, I think I can convey how I was feeling before leaving for Tenerife very well. It also set the tone in the beginning and made it so I could present how I change throughout.
Strength 2:
The structure of my paper makes it so my story can be followed pretty well. I think I placed my sequence of events in such a way that it constructs my journey in an understandable way. I also tried to incorporate some dialouge to give the reader an actual understanding of how the experience played out.
Improvement 1:
I should incorporate more characters. I am the narrator and the only other characters I mention are my parents, sister, Ed, and Veerle. I think it would enhance the story more if there were other people to illustrate my development and experience.
Improvement 2:
I need to better explain what I learned and what my journey meant to me. I only explain it vaguely, but really dont know how. I've explained what I learned many times so its become a very constructed response. More detail is neccesary.

The Archetypes contd...

After Vogler describes the functions of the two most common archetypes in storytelling, the Hero and Mentor, he continues to elaborate on the complexities of other archetypes absolutely necessary for the creation of a story. He describes the functions of the Threshold Guardian, Herald, Shapeshifter, Shadow, Ally, and Trickster. All of these archetypes actions are centered around the Hero and are explained as having a positive, negative, or positive and negative impact on him/her and other characters. For example, the Ally often brings to light extra dimensions of the Hero's personalities through their interaction throughout the story, which every archetype is possible of doing, as well. This is often portrayed through guidance, similar to the Mentor. Without these other archetypes,a story of triumph could not be created. Every archetype is concrete, but at the same time capable of functioning through many variations. Surrounding each archetype is a goal to express what there function is in the story, but with flexibility. Essentially, the Shadow brings destruction, the Shapeshifter causes doubt and misdirection, the Threshold Guardians present obstacles, but all do so uniquely, allowing writers to project the greater depth of their characters and avoid stereotyping. Vogler notes that the combination and variations of archetypes form a complete human being.
The way in which Vogler describes each archetype through such detail, made the point that each archetype is very complex and human-like. These archetypes are extremely useful because they can be easily utilized to create a character of any writer's pleasing. Their function allows the audience to further understand their personality and motive in the movie, often in relation to the Hero.
What is so interesting to me is that after reading about all the different archetypes, the Hero seems to be the least complex. I would've thought as the main character, which the story is created around, their complexity should increase so that the audience could further connect with them. Although all the other archetypes are placed around the Hero's goal as secondary characters, I believe their importance is just as monumental to the development and outcome of the story. I have never looked at main characters in such a way before, only as the one that appears the most on the screen. In addition, I came up with a new personally way of viewing importance of the archetypes. It never occurred to me that there was a concrete model that described the steps in the storytelling process, which I now see can be applied to most all the stories I know of. I believe my unawareness to this pattern portrays the the necessity of the variations of the archetypes. The characters within the stories are always different, complex, and intriguing, and therefore you follow the characters on the same journey repeatedly because it is they who intrigue you and capture your attention.

Questions:
1. Is it the journey (pattern) that is more attractive or the characters that are present in the journey, or are they equally attractive?
2. What archetype(s) would the grandmother be in "A Good Man is Hard to Find"?
3. Do you believe we embodied the majority of these archetypes on a daily basis? Does that mean we are all part of a Hero's journey?

The Archetypes: Hero and Mentor

In The Archetypes, Vogler builds on Carl Jung's theory of archetypes, defined as "ancient patterns of personality that are the shared heritage of the human race." (pg.23) Basically archetypes are created from universal personalities and incorporated into every story unconciously because it is what is known and familiar, and is developed from everyday life. An archetype is not neccesarily a permanent trait of a character, but rather a function, which can be gained or lost during a characters growth throughout the story. The eight archetypes that are used most frequently are the hero, mentor, threshold guardian, herald, shapshifter, shawdow, ally, and trickster. A character can posses all, many, or one of these archetypes, which will define his/her personality. Specially focusing on the hero and mentor, Vogler notes that there are many ways in which these characters portray their roles, but all serve to further the audience-character connection. Among the many traits within these two archetypes, the essence of the archetype is always present. For example, the hero always overcomes or tries to overcome an obstacle, and the mentor always serves as a fuction that contributes to the hero's ultimate success. Essentially archetypes allow the audience to connect with teh characters, and in turn grasp the plot or meaning of the work.

Vogler's explanation of archetypes is very straighforward and fundamental to understanding the way in which an audience percieves a story and can connect with it. It makes perfect sense that characters would share recurring archetypes because these archetypes are how we make sense of life and play to the many ways in which we deal with obstacles and confrontation. As Vogler made quite clear in his lengthy explanantions of the many different kinds of heros and mentors, there is a type of hero or mentor for every type of personality. All people posses unique personalities and therefore go about their journey in their own way. This gives way to the many depictions of a hero or mentor. The specific ones Vogler mentions are probably the most common ways that people would act, so they would be the most popular because a connection can be easily made.

I found it very interesting that the key words that define the most popular and sensational characters are overcome, growth, and teach. Vogler uses these to describe the hero and mentor very frequently. Since these types of characters are most popular and most commonly used, I believe it says something about the way society interprets entertainment. It allows the audience to feel feelings that they felt maybe when they dealt with a simliar obstacle or teaches them something about the way they interpret their own ordeals. Since most stories end with the hero overcoming their dilemma, I can understand why they would be so popular. People always want to overcome their dilemma's too, and thats what makes the audience root for the hero. Another thing I noticed was the contrast of Joseph Campbell's outline of "The Keys" and the archetypes. I believe that the archetypes can first and created the mold of the 12 stages. Personality develops through stages, but the stages are created through the choices (personality) of the characters.

Questions:

1. Is it the stages or archetypes that come first in the creation of a story?

2. How can a character be defined as a mentor or hero since so many of the qualities are the same between them and they put on different "masks" throughout the story?

3. It seems from Vogler's explanantion of hero's it would be possible for everyone to be a hero. Do you think this is true?

Annotation: Chapter 1, A Practical Guide

Christopher Vogler's commentary, A Practical Guide, on Joseph Campbell's book, A Hero with a Thousand Faces, is a very insightful interpretation of the repetition within storytelling. This repetition is present not only within fictional stories and mythology and movies, but can also be applied to the way people perceive and live their lives. Every story is created through a journey, in which obstacles are faced, and transformation occurs. Therefore, the word story is synonymous with the word journey, and is the foundation of all works. Vogler constructs his argument based on Campbell's outline of "The Keys", which consist of 12 stages that are incorporated into every journey. Although listed in specific order, Vogler notes that the pattern in which they occur can be modified and the symbolism of each stage can take on many meanings. This basic outline serves as a framework for conveying life experiences that are shared by everyone.
The fact that an outline can be applied to every story, whether fictional or non-fictional, is quite amazing. The process in which Vogler explains this theory makes it seem very believable. It is interesting that a pattern has developed over thousands and thousands of years, and until only recently has been explored and revealed. This point, in itself, gives way to the idea that people internalized their personal journeys in very alike ways. In basic terms, the normalcy of life is interrupted, the issue is ignored or help is sought if it cannot be ignored, the processes of overcoming the issue begins, insight and knowledge is gained, and the issue is essentially solved, the transformation to a normal life begins, and normalcy is regained once the issue no longer exists or is looked back on as a lesson learned. Along these lines many experiences can be explained and shared to others, who will be able to connect with them because it follows a universal patter of thought and action that everyone has experienced.
At first it was hard to grasp the idea that all stories follow a similar outline, if not the same one, because I've read many books and never consciously recognized this connection. Vogler makes a very convincing case though, in contrasting romantic comedies with sci-fi and The Wizard of Oz. I could also make a connection between these works and memoirs I've read, such as Elie Wiesel's, as well as personal life experiences I've dealt with. In addition, I found myself agreeing with Carl Jung's theory that characters reflect the many aspects of the human mind. This relationship between the viewer/reader and the character in an inanimate medium, like a book or movie, gives the story life, and through this, the character's journey can be easily understood or experienced. I believe that this character-connection is what creates the last attraction people have for stories, in all forms.

1. Can you think of a story that does not fit into Vogler's interpretation of the 12 stages and storytelling?
2. What do you think of the idea that from the Hero's point of view, members of the opposite sex appear to be "Shapeshifters"? How is this relevant to the "Reward" stage of storytelling?
3. Could you describe experiences in your life with out using the 12 stages? Are there some stages that pertain only to fictional experiences?

My Fairy Tale Persona

When I first watched Alice in Wonderland, I was absolutely mesmerized by the strange characters and imaginative encounters that Alice had throughout the fairy tale. She was a young girl who had a wonderful imagination and was able to escape reality with in it. When I was a girl I often lived in my imagination for days, using my background as the setting for an adventure that would lead me to magical fairies in the garden or a secret treasure. Alice also acts much older for her age. She is able to handle herself, most of the time, in the strangest of situations, whether it is chatting with the caterpillar or finding her way out of the rabbit hole. I believe this is a heroic attribute. My parents also said that I was very mature for my age. I believe my curiosity had something to do with it. I always wanted to understand what was going on in my surroundings and struck up conversations with people wherever I was, like in the grocery store sitting in my mom's cart or in line at an amusement park. This curiosity is present in Alice's personality, too. She is also resourceful, which is a quality I like to believe I posses. What also attracts me to Alice is the characters she meets and talks with, such as the caterpillar and mad hatter. She doesn't pass judgement, rather she accepts everyone and excuses herself from situations that make her feel uncomfortable without being rude. I love meeting and talking to quirky people, who are completely different than me. They also have the most interesting thoughts and experiences to share. I'd love to spend a day in Wonderland.